Chapter two
Evenings at the Miller house hold could be simply compared to a small feast. Ruth and Arthur Miller had nine children together. Three girls and six boys, they did their best to maintain a peaceful household and never mentioned anything about their firstborn son who strayed into the way of the world. Miriam was the last born in the family and everyone else still treated her like a child.
“Let us share the grace”, Ruth announced once the table was well set and everyone was in their seat. They all bowed their heads automatically and listened to her recite the usual prayer meal.
“Thank you father for what we are about to receive may it bring nourishment to our spirits, health and mind. Amen”
“Amen”
The whole room was suddenly filed with the usual clutter of cutlery on plate as they served the food on their plates. Dinner time was always family time to them with Arthur who did the talking and set the next day’s chores for his children.
“Daniel”, he started and address a young man who was seated at the far end of the table soaking his bread in soup.
“Yes papa”
“You are almost through with your high school education”, he started “Have you given any thought to what you want to do after that?”
Daniel took a bite of his bread and chewed on it slowly as though it was made from rubber before looking straight at his father’s eyes and saying “I have”
“What would you like to do?”
“I would like to be a lawyer papa”
There was an intent silence that covered the room all of a sudden at the mention of this and everyone waited for Arthur’s response.
“That is a good career choice”, he said before also biting into his bread and addressing his son “Where would you like to study that?”
“Harvard”
Arthur did not seem as disturbed as the rest of his family members were at the delivery of this news. He chewed on his food some more before finally speaking.
“There are very many Amish universities that offer a law degree”
“But they are not as good as Harvard law”, Daniel protested. He looked around the table and saw how the rest of the family seemed to be spectators and dreading the flow of the conversation.
Arthur went on to nibble on his food before looking up at his son and laying down his fork.
“But they do not uphold our way of life”, he said and looked at his father challenging him waiting,for what he was going to say next.
“It is not about the environment it is simply about the individual, I will not get influenced by anyone and anything once I go out there”
“The environment can play a very huge role when it comes to influencing someone’s behavior and personality”, Arthur said.
“I am not Joshua papa”
Miriam bit her lower lip as she wondered why Daniel had to bring up their stray brother. Her look rested on her mother’s face before she looked at her own plate and her appetite went straight through the window.
“No you are not”, he said “But you will not go to Harvard”
There was a tone of finality in his voice and everyone on the table was grateful that Daniel did not add anything else to the conversation. Arthur then turned his gaze to another and went on to ask about their days and assigning them their next day duties. The rest of the dinner went by smoothly with everyone choosing to ignore the elephant in the room. Miriam helped her sisters clear the table but did not wash the dishes with them. She however hovered at the kitchen entrance and listened in on their conversation.
“Did you see him today?” he older sister Naomi asked in a whisper.
“Yes”
“Where?”
“At the youth meeting in church”, Sarah her other sister answered.
“Were you able to speak to him?”
“Not really”
“What do you mean not really?”
“We went there with papa”, Sarah answered timidly. She was helping her sister wash the dishes as they talked. She soon threw a glance at the doorway and saw Miriam sited at listening to their conversation.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” she asked rudely
“Come on Sarah stop being mean to her”
“You know how much trouble she caused us the last time she reported us”, Sarah snapped.
“It was an ignorant crime, she had no idea she was telling on you”
“Well, in law ignorance is not a defense”
“Have you become Daniel the lawyer now?”
They both burst out laughing at the comment while Miriam still sat at the doorway not really understanding their joke. She wondered whether her mother had informed them of her latest news and if they would treat her any more different.
“Did mom tell you?” she asked out of the blue trying hard not to be shut out of the conversation.
“Tell me what?”
“I am now a woman” Miriam announced with pride but was immediately taken back by the reaction that her sisters gave her. They both burst out laughing and looked at her squarely before Sarah started with the questions.
“What do you know about becoming a woman?”
“I know everything, mama showed me”, Miriam answered confidently.
“Come here dear”, Naomi waved her over and watched as she shyly approached where they were.
“Do you want to know something very interesting about becoming a woman?”
Miriam nodded slowly but was not really sure if she wanted to know, she did not like the way Naomi still talked to her as if she was a small child.
“You never turtle tale on your big sisters”
Miriam nodded again and her heart warmed up to what Naomi had just said. She felt like she was being sworn into a secret association or something.
“Ok”, she answered before biting her lower lip and getting lost in deep thought “Does that mean you will be letting me in on your plans?”
“Only if you promise not to tell on us”
“Ok”, Miriam answered and beamed at the same time. Miriam went on to listen to her sister’s plot and scheme about everything although she could not comprehend most of it; it felt good for her to be a part of something. They all finally went back to bed and she easily drifted off to slumber land.
A hand shook Miriam in the middle of the night and she almost screamed before she could register what was going on.
“Ssshhh”, her sister Sarah mouthed and placed a hand over her mouth “Are you up?” she asked as she tried to make out her facial expression in the dark. Miriam sat straighter in the dark and immediately noticed two familiar shadows hovering around her.
“We need you to be our watchdogs today”, they said.
“Ok”, Miriam said in a whisper.
“Mama will come knocking at your door in the morning and will ask if you have seen us”, Sarah went on to whisper “You have to tell her that we left early for morning devotion”
“Ok”, Miriam said she looked at her sisters and wondered where they were heading to, she wanted to join them but already knew the answer to that.
“Where are you going?” she asked inquisitively and hoped they would tell her.
“Baby steps baby girl”, Naomi said and patted her head slightly “We need to trust you with the small tasks first”
Miriam nodded and felt pride swell up in her; she watched as her sisters walked over to her window and slowly swung it open. Sarah was the first to climb down; she heard her legs land softly on the ground. Naomi followed, she stopped to look at her and gave her an encouraging smile before whispering “Don’t forget baby girl, morning devotion”
“Ok”, Miriam whispered back. She sat in her bed for a minute longer and walked over to the window to at least know the direction they were heading. She was however disappointed when she did not see any of them on the other side. Miriam then realized that must not have been the first time for them, they moved so swiftly and carefully. She got back to her own bed and slipped in
between her covers, she hoped her sisters will come back early enough so that she would not have to lie to her mother the next day.
Miriam endured a troubled night after her sisters left the house, she kept tossing and turning in bed and was aware of any slight movement that was being made in the house. Dawn drew nearer faster than she had anticipated the unlocking of her mother’s bed room door made her alert.
She listened to her soft familiar footsteps stride down the hallway and she knocked on her door as she always did when she woke up. She walked in uninvited and Miriam pulled the covers over her head and listened to her walk over to her.
“Miriam,” she called “Wake up and say your prayers”
Miriam did as she was told and sat up in her bed she looked around her room and her gaze landed on her mother’s back exiting. She heard her walk over to her sister’s room and she knocked on the wooden door. Miriam was hardly allowed to go into the big girl’s room, they willingly agreed to share a bedroom and let her have her own. She had felt jealous at first but after the night escapade understood why they had come to that decision. Fear griped her heart when her mother slowly walked back to her room and stood right in front of her.
“Miriam have you seen your sisters this morning?”
This was it; she needed to prove to her sisters that she could be trusted. Her face became a pale white color as all the blood drained from it. She could still hear Naomi’s words echo in her head and tried to form the words to tell to her mother.
“I heard them go for morning devotion”, she said.
“Morning devotion? Where?”
“I didn’t ask, I was still in bed and heard them whispering in the hallway”, Miriam answered and hoped that her mother could not see right through her. She walked from her doorway and headed to the kitchen before repapering in her doorway again,
“But all the doors are still locked, which way did they use?”
“I couldn’t tell mama, I was still in bed”, she answered and immediately saw the worried look that formed on her mother’s face.
“Say your prayers and join me in the kitchen”, she said and walked out.
Miriam waited for her mother to be completely out of earshot from her before closing the door and getting on her knees next to her bed. She placed the palms of her hands together and tried to form the words in her mind.
“Dear Lord”, she started “We thank you for life we thank you for waking us up this morning”.
She tried to concentrate on the words that were in her prayer but her mind kept wandering back to her sisters.
“Please keep Naomi and Sarah safe”, she said. She then went silent for a minute before dwelling on the words in her head and uttered a simple Amen and got to her feet and started to make her bed. She stretched out her arms and let out a loud yawn before rushing to the bathroom. She followed a strict schedule that was overseen by her mother and would always adhere to it with fail.
Miriam was dressed and in the kitchen within no time, she found her mother making tea and proceeded to set the table as she threw glances around the house waiting for her sisters to appear. She knew that her father would be up any time and wondered if he will notice they were not in the house. The sound of two pairs of soft boots sounding in the kitchen doorway made Miriam’s heart feel lighter. She walked back to the kitchen and looked up at her two sisters before throwing a glance at her mother.
“Where are the two of you from?” her mother barked as soon as she saw them hovering around the kitchen exit. The look of relaxation on both her sister’s faces was what shocked Miriam the most. They were both calm and poised and neither of them looked bothered.
“Good morning mama”, they both said but not in unison. Naomi was the one who spoke first; she had a bible in one hand and a notebook and pen in the other.
“We had gone over at Elijah’s for the morning devotion”
“Why didn’t you let me know yesterday?” Ruth asked as she eyed them curiously. Naomi looked at her sister in utter bewilderment before Sarah cut in.
“I am sorry mama”, she said “I thought I did”
The sincerity in their voices was so convincing that Miriam almost burst out into giggles.
“How did you get out?”
“Through this door” Naomi said and pointed at the kitchen exit that they were still standing on
“What time did you leave?”
“At around 4:45” Naomi answered.
“But when I woke up the door was locked”, Ruth still inquired and gazed at them challengingly.
“Daniel or one of the other boys must have locked it after their morning rounds or something”, Sarah butt in.
Miriam was simply impressed with how lying easily came to her sisters and she wondered how many more times they had lied to their mother the same way before. She watched as her mother remained speechless and did not bother to ask any more questions.
“Ok”, she agreed with them reluctantly “Help Miriam with her morning chores before anything else”
She walked out of the kitchen and let her daughters take care of breakfast. Miriam watched her two sisters and suddenly began to wonder where they were really from. As much as she wanted to ask she knew that they would not really give her a definite answer and she decided not to. Naomi walked over to her and placed an arm around her shoulder.
“You did really well for a first timer”, she said and beamed with pride.
“Thank you”
“This only shows you can now be trusted by greater responsibilities soon enough”, she said.
Miriam had never gotten any approval from her sisters and their words made her feel accepted. They made breakfast did the dishes and retired to their room. Naomi invited Miriam to their room that day after breakfast and asked her to seat on her bed. Sarah was already fast asleep, which made Miriam wonder more about their midnight escapade.
She looked around their room and wondered if their mother also walked in and rearranged their clothes and shoes the same way she did with her’s.
“What do you have planned for the day?”
“Nothing much, I am going to pick plums and berries fort mum’s jam making before noon”
“I will need you to be back here early enough”, Naomi said “We need you to help us with something, think you can handle that?”
“Yes I can”, Miriam answered confidently.
“Ok, I need to get some rest now, we will talk later”, Naomi said.
“Ok”.
Miriam walked out of their room and immediately had Naomi lock the door from the inside. This was a shocking gesture and she wondered why her mother never let her have a door on her door. Her mind was however set for the day ahead; she had her own plans and secrets to keep in check. She took her basket and swung it under her arm before walking over to the barn where her mother was and standing next to her.
“I am going off to the woods mama”, she said to her.
“Ok dear, but do not go hunting rabbits”, her mother warned.
“Ok mama”.
She walked out of the barn and started heading straight for the woods with her basket safely tucked under her arm. She thought of two recent conflicts that were in her schedule and became slightly worried. She hoped that her new friend in the woods would keep time. She hurried along with the help of only her wrist watch to help tell the time. The weather that day was slightly chilly and she was clad in a warm sweater on top of her usual clothes. She loved the scent of nature and the feel of a slightly strong wind racing past her hair and cooling her warm cheeks made her feel even more excited. She walked by a few rabbits and knew how much fun she would have chasing after them but her mother’s words echoed in her head.
She went on to pick the wild berries and plums in the woods before finally feeling the toll of it and decided to have a set under a tree. She reflected on the previous night and had various questions about the night before and where her sisters had disappeared to. She thought of how confident they were when lying to
their mother and wondered if she would ever be like them. A quick glance on her wrist watch assured her of the time and she slowly got to her feet and dusted the dry twigs and leaves off her. She had to choose between heading back home and meeting with her new found friend.
“Time management”, she echoed her father’s words before taking a few steps towards the agreed upon rendezvous. She approached the spot cautiously and had no expectation. Miriam was however beyond surprised when she walked to the spot and found her new found friend waiting on her.
“Hello”, he said excitedly and started walking towards her “I thought you wouldn’t show up”
He tried to give Miriam a warm hug but was surprised by her reaction when she took two stepped back.
“I am sorry, did I offend you?” he asked in a concerned tone.
Miriam bit her lip and did not know how to reply to him they never mixed with the opposite sex from the community and would only say hello to them when they had to.
“We do not make close body contact with the opposite sex”, tried to explain and hoped that her new friend would not find it weird.
“I am sorry, I had no idea”
“It is ok”, she replied after seeing apologetic he was.
They then stood looking at each other in an awkward silence; none of the other knew what to say. David tried breaking the ice by fishing for something in his pocket.
“I brought you something”, he said and handed it to her.
Miriam looked at it strangely before mouthing a slight thank you and placing it in her pocket.
“It is simply candy in different shapes”, he went on to say.
This revelation made Miriam have a light bulb at the top of her head, she had thought the small colorful beads were buttons and knew she would only practice her sewing with them.
They went on to stare at each other before David spoke some more.
“Do you maybe want to have a seat?” He pointed her to a clean patch of grass about a few steps from where they were standing. She gave a sight nod and walked towards the place slowly with Naomi’s promise ringing in her head. They sat down and the silence resumed again before he took out his cell phone from his pocket again and tried started going through it. Miriam marveled at how easily she operated the device and wished she could also have such expertise.
The Time Turner Page 10